


Let It Snow!

by Square_Orange, UrsaeMinoris



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Background Relationships, Baking, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Gay Disaster Shiro (Voltron), Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Getting Together, Huddling For Warmth, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Voltron: Legendary Defender Season/Series 08 Compliant, Snowball Fight, Team as Family, background allurance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:48:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29112585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Square_Orange/pseuds/Square_Orange, https://archiveofourown.org/users/UrsaeMinoris/pseuds/UrsaeMinoris
Summary: After the end of the war, Lance plans a winter holiday for the paladins, Matt and Romelle. He rents a cottage in Ireland, where they can enjoy the snow. Keith arrives with some unexpected company. Shiro and Keith have been pining for years. Will their friends get them together?
Relationships: Allura & Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro, Keith & Shiro & Hunk & Allura & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Romelle & Matt Holt, Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 32
Kudos: 43
Collections: Sheithmark 2021





	1. And since we've got no place to go, Let It Snow!

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for sheithmark2021, thank you to the mods for organizing such a fun event.
> 
> We worked on a bingo card, and this fic gives us a whole row in it, and then some more prompts! I’ll list which ones at the end!
> 
> I was paired with [ Square_Orange](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Square_Orange)[(MAilbhe on twitter)](https://twitter.com/MAilbhe/) as an illustrator, who did the lovely illustration you can find in chapter 3, and that inspired this fic! And some additional art for another story to fill that bingo card!  
> Thank you to [voidslantern](https://archiveofourown.org/users/voidslantern/) for the beta-read and all the support!  
> It was a really fun team!

_It all started because Lance found out Allura had never seen the snow. The paladins were used to spending the holidays together. Christmas was for families (for those who celebrated it), but the period between Christmas and the new year was Paladin family time, with the addition of Matt and Romelle. They had spent it on New Altea, on Arus... They even had already spent it on Earth... but there was no snow in the Arizona desert that year, neither in Varadero when they visited Lance’s family._

_So Lance decided to take matters in his own hands, and was, for the first time, the one to organize their holidays. He set his heart on Ireland, and rented a cottage for all of them in the Wicklow Mountains, determined for Allura to discover snow. Needless to say, she was delighted by it._

\--

The team has already settled in the small cottage for two days, when they finally get an incoming communication from Keith. Shiro’s heart is beating faster, as he projects the image from his communicator for all to see. The paladins gather around him, and Keith’s face appears. There are dark shadows under his eyes, and a bruise on his left cheekbone. The mission that caused him to delay his arrival has clearly not gone well. He looks exhausted, and yet so beautiful.

Somehow, that’s where Shiro’s mind jumps to every time he sees Keith again after being separated from him for a while. He knows heshouldn’t, that Keith is just a friend, but… it’s hard to unsee, right? Since Keith came back from the Quantum Abyss looking like a snack, Shiro has been struggling with complicated feelings. He’s careful to act appropriately, of course. He doesn’t want to make things awkward with his best friend. But still, it should be illegal to be that handsome.

“Shiro?”

Shiro blinks. “Yes, Keith?”

“Sorry, you just… you zoned out.”

Great. Now he looks like he hasn’t been paying attention.

“Ha, I’m sorry, Keith.” He rubs the back of his neck self-consciously. “I’m glad to see you again.”

Keith’s expression softens. “It’s good to see you too,” he replies with the most beautiful, sincere smile.

The silence that follows is broken by Lance faking a cough. It brings Shiro back to the discussion.

“Hu, so Keith, do you know when you can join us? We are already at the cottage.”

“You’re sharing a room with Shiroooo!!!” teases Pidge in a singsong voice, as if it is any surprise. It does, somehow, manage to bring some pink to Keith’s cheeks.

“Ok,” he says. Almost shyly.

“It has bunk beds!” Shiro clarifies quickly, before Keith gets the wrong idea.

“Yeah…” says Keith.

And there’s an awkward silence again. When it’s starting to get uncomfortable, Shiro blurts the first thing in his mind: “I call bottom!” Beside him, Pidge snickers, while Keith’s eyebrows shoot up in confusion. Shiro can feel his face heat while he splutters: “The bottom bed. Because I’m heavy. I mean.”

“Oh. I’ll be on top, then,” replies Keith, completely deadpan. Pidge snorts loudly and Matt has to actually elbow them, with tears in his eyes from suppressed laughter. Hunk turns away, but Shiro can hear him wheezing, his shoulders moving up and down. Lance rolls his eyes: “Really?!”

“What.”

Keith looks so earnest that Shiro can’t even be amused, it’s just too endearing. Lance gives an exasperated sigh.

“So, Keith, how have you been?” Allura asks graciously, ever the diplomat.

Keith leans back in his pilot seat, and thinks a bit before answering: “I’m ok. Been busy with missions.”

“You deserve some rest for sure,” replies Hunk. His voice is still a bit strained from stifling his laughter, but he almost manages to sound casual.

Keith nods. He hesitates, before announcing: “There’s something I need to tell you.”

He looks so serious that Shiro sobers up immediately. “Of course Keith, we’re listening.”

“I… I am not coming alone.”

Shiro’s heart drops to the floor. Of course. He should have been prepared. Keith couldn’t stay celibate indefinitely. Specially being so good looking.

“They got really attached to me, and I felt bad letting them behind…”

Now he sounds like he is talking about a cat, or maybe a brood of ducklings.

“Keith, who did you bring with you?” asks Allura.

Keith sighs, and, after a moment of hesitation, directs the camera towards something behind him, in the corner of the pilot cabin.

Kosmo is lying beside some sort of collapsible bunk. Inside it, rolled in a mess of colorful fabric, a small Galra child is sleeping, sucking on their thumb. White, silky hair spreads like a halo around a round, lavender face.

Shiro is stunned by the unexpected cuteness overload; a concert of cooing noises comes from the rest of the team.

Keith’s face appears again on the screen, frowning anxiously. “If that’s a problem, I…”

“Keith!” Shiro protests, “It’s not a problem at all.”

“Yeah, I love kids!” Lance exclaims. “But, when the hell did you become a Dad?!”

Keith’s frown deepens, and his ears turn red. “I’m not a Dad. It’s an orphan we rescued on a recent mission. We haven’t found a place for them yet.”

Lance opens his mouth to reply something, but Allura steps firmly on his foot to shut him up. “Keith, we are all thrilled to see you and to meet...uhm.”

“They’re called Kadzu.”

“Kadzu!” Allura repeats, delighted.

“We’re happy to welcome you both,” adds Shiro, having recovered enough from the shock to speak again. “Keep us updated on your approach.”

Keith nods. “Okay, coming in. Engaging atmospheric entry.”

The communication cuts as Keith maneuvers to land.

–

The Galran speeder touches down shortly after that. The forest doesn’t make for the best landing area, but Keith is Keith, and he maneuvers gracefully. The landing is perfect, and there’s a part in Shiro that’s always proud when he sees Keith’s flying skills.

They crowd around Keith as he steps out of the ship, the wolf at his side, and the child clinging to him. Shiro would like to be the first to welcome him, but he feels surprisingly shy. From a distance, he watches the casual familiarity with which Keith greets their friends. It’s nice to see what a long way he has come. Shiro still remembers when Keith had trouble getting along with the team, or even the teenager he met once who refused to let anyone get close to him. Now, he is there, laughing as Hunk wraps him in a bear hug and lifts him from the ground.

The kid seems intimidated at first, hiding behind Keith, but relaxes as Lance kneels and talks to them. The attention of the group shifts to Kadzu, to whom they introduce themselves.

\--

“_ So, are you not going to welcome him?”

Shiro jumps at Allura’s question. He hadn’t noticed she had stayed back too.

“ Y… Yes, of course. I’m waiting for… uhm… my turn…”

“I have no doubt that you will have his full attention as soon as he spots you.”

Shiro looks at Allura out of the corner of his eyes; there’s something a bit ironic in her tone that he doesn’t know how to place. But she’s also smiling kindly while she watches Lance playing with Kadzu.

“You’re staying at a distance too,” he replies.

“I wanted to keep an eye on you.”

Shiro is getting more and more lost in this conversation. He clears his throat and changes subject.

“Lance is good with kids,” he comments.

She joins her hands, endeared : “He truly is.”

“Ever thought of having children of you own, Princess?” It’s awkward and he immediately regrets bringing it up. Deflecting is one thing, but this was off-limits. He opens his mouth to apologize, but she interrupts him, apparently unbothered.

“Some day, yes, I’d like to. What about you?”

“… Me?!”

“You could adopt.”

This catches him off guard. “I… I don’t know? I haven’t considered it. I think I’d… need to be in a stable relationship, first.”

“Of course,” she replies, pointedly. He turns to her, but her eyes are on Keith and the paladins. Is she actually teasing him about his crush on Keith, or is he reading too much into this conversation?

“Shiro!” Keith is walking in their direction, Kadzu, Kosmo, and the paladins in tow. The way he smiles and seems relaxed is a balm to Shiro’s heart.

“Keith!” he exclaims, unable to resist moving in Keith’s direction.

They fall in each other’s arms, and Shiro has to fight back tears. He’s missed Keith so much. They hug a long time; even longer than usual. Finally Keith takes a step back, putting his hands on Shiro’s shoulder and smiling softly.

“It’s good to have you back.” Shiro can’t help it. He knows it’s cheesy, this little line they keep throwing at each other, but it makes his heart sing each time.

Keith’s smile gets bigger. “It’s good to be back!”

Shiro chuckles, and pats Keith's shoulder. His eyes drop on the small figure standing next to his best friend. The little Galra is half hidden behind Keith, staring at Shiro with huge eyes.

“Shiro, this is Kadzu. Kadzu, this is Shiro.”

“Hi Kadzu. I’m Shiro. Happy to meet you.” Shiro feels a little awkward around small children. He was an only child and hasn’t been used to smaller kids. He doesn’t know much about Galra growth, either.

The child pouts. “I know you.”

“Oh,” is all Shiro can answer.

“Keith always talks about you.”

There’s an embarrassed silence, before Shiro can utter “Yeah, we’ve been friends for a long time.”

“I know.”

Shiro shifts his weight from one foot to another, not sure how to react. His eyes meet Keith’s, who has gone red. “Ah, yeah, sorry. I think Kadzu may have seen you when we had calls, too.”

Kadzu tugs at Keith’s Blade Uniform. “Yes, Kadzu?” Keith asks.

“Can we go now?”

Keith scratches his neck. “Hu, where do you want to go?”

“Home.”

This gets a laugh from all the paladins, while Kadzu’s frown deepens. Shiro worries they are on the verge of crying. Keith kneels in front of them, lays a hand on their shoulder and asks, very gently: “But we just arrived.”

Kadzu starts sniffling and Shiro is horrified. He has no idea what he did wrong, but it seems the child doesn’t like him at all.

“Hey, buddy!” Lance is crouching next to Keith, reaching out his hand towards the child. “Do you want to see the forest?”

It seems enough to calm Kadzu down. They sniffle again, and take Lance’s hand. “Forest?”

“Yeah, it’s amazing, let me show you!”

Shiro tries not to envy how easily Lance got friendly with the child, but he’s also thankful for the distraction.

Lance gets up, Kadzu’s little hand still in his. “Hey Shiro, why don’t you help Keith unpack his stuff and find a place for Kadzu while I show him around?”

“Is that ok with you?” Keith asks Kadzu. The little Galra gives a determined nod.

"Can Kosmo come?"

"Of course."

Shiro follows Keith to the Galra speeder, while the paladins go inspect the surrounding of the cottage with Kadzu and Kosmo.

\--

Keith snorts at the bunk beds as they enter their bedroom. Shiro puts down the bag he had been carrying for him. Keith usually travels with very little baggage, but this time he had to bring Kadzu’s stuff too, including the small bed.

Thankfully the room, despite not being big, has enough space for them to install it. “Sorry for not warning you that I was coming with Kadzu”, Keith apologizes, “I guess you didn’t expect to have to share your room with a Galra kit, hu.”

Shiro shakes his head. “No, don’t worry. I hope Kadzu won’t mind. They didn’t seem too happy to meet me.” He knows it’s not worth being despondent about, but he can’t help it.

“Eh, you know… I think they were just a little jealous… “

“Jealous?”

“Well, yeah. At the Blades’ headquarters, they were the only one I had to take care of, and Mom and the other Blades helped. But now they have to share me with… all of you.” He has a shy smile as he says that.

“Wow, you truly adopted them, hu?”

Keith’s expression gets more grave. “No, it’s not like that. But I want to make it as good as possible for them until we find a good adoption family or foster family. I know how lonely it can get.”

“I understand.”

They set up the bed in silence after that, and Shiro hopes he didn’t hurt Keith’s feelings.

When they’re done, Keith sighs. “I guess it will be better if I take the bottom bed, Shiro. It will be easier if Kadzu needs something during the night.

“You’re right. I think this can support my weight.” Shiro nudges at the upper bed. It seems pretty sturdy.

Keith is avoiding his gaze, and that gets Shiro’s attention immediately. “Anyway… thanks, for putting up with me.”

“Keith. It’s all good. I’m proud of you for helping out like that.” That gets Keith to look at him again, as if he wants to see if Shiro is sincere. “I missed you, Keith.”

Keith smiles again, his voice cracks up as he replies “I missed you too, Shiro.”

Shiro wants to hug him again, but it might be too much. So, he sits on the bed instead, ducking his head to not knock it on the upper bed.

“I’m going to check on Kadzu…” says Keith. He sounds so tired.

“Keith, don’t you want to change first? You’re still in uniform, and you’ve been flying for hours…”

Keith groans, and stretches. “I wouldn’t mind a shower… But I don’t want to leave Kadzu alone too long.”

“How about we call Lance to see how things are going?”

As Keith agrees and sits next to him, Shiro pulls out his phone again and dials Lance’s number.

“Hey!” exclaims the blue paladin. “Are you settled?”

“Yeah, is Kadzu all right?” Keith asks, tense.

Lance smiles, and lowers his phone, bringing the child in view. Their eyes twinkle with excitement: “Keith! There’s snow! And… and trees!”

“That’s great, Kadzu!”

As Lance appears on the screen again, Shiro asks him if he can give them a little more time.

“Hey, Kadzu, do you want to build a snowman?” Lance suggests.

“A snow man?” Kadzu repeats, puzzled.

“A snow man?” asks Romelle.

“I am curious, too!” admits Allura.

“Lance,” Pidge asks, “have YOU ever built a snowman?”

“It can’t be that hard!” Lance protests. “Hu, okay guys, we can wait for you a bit longer!”

He hangs up without letting them time to reply. Shiro scoffs. He has missed the team’s banter.

When Keith comes out of the shower, he only has a towel wrapped around his hips. Shiro is not sure how to act. Keith looks so gorgeous, but he doesn’t want to make it weird by looking too much… or avoiding his gaze too much. It’s frustrating how he overthinks little things like that now. Maybe they’ve been apart for too long. The one thing he can’t look away from, though, are the bruises on Keith’s body, and some bio-plaster on the right side of his abdomen, probably to protect a cut. There are burns on his back, too, that might have been from Druid magic.

“Last mission didn’t go well, hu?” he comments.

“Yeah. It happened on Elloh.”

This is the thing that worries Shiro. The Blades go to places still under the rule of Galra loyal to the Empire, or controlled by warlords. They gather intel for the Coalition, and try to help the population get free. They provide immediate relief when possible. Atlas and some of the former Rebels show up if a battle is needed to free those planets. The Coalition takes on the peace negotiations and humanitarian relief when things are more stable. Which means the Blade of Marmora intervenes when the things are the most dangerous...

“We had helped the local population to overthrow their Galra ruler. The situation was still unstable, but we thought we could start relief efforts. Then, a warlord operating in the quadrant tried to seize power.”

Keith sighs, and retrieves a small medic-kit from his bag. He sits on the bed next to Shiro, and starts spreading a salve on his bruises.

“Do you need help with that?” Shiro offers. “For the places that are hard to reach, at least?”

Keith pauses. “Yeah.”

They stay silent as Shiro helps Keith tend to his injuries. It’s oddly comforting, this sort of quiet intimacy. It might be sad that tending to each other's wounds is so familiar, but it has been part of their life for a while. It reminds Shiro of after-battle routines on the Castle of Lions; or even before that, when Keith got into fights at the Galaxy Garrison; or when Shiro needed help with the liniments he used to dull the pains from his illness. Shiro would prefer that Keith doesn’t get hurt that often; that none of them does.

When they’re done, Keith lets out a contented sigh and sags against Shiro’s shoulder. Shiro wraps his arm around him without thinking. He wishes it could go on forever like that, simple and easy and cozy.

\--

They both jump when someone knocks. The door opens and a small purple canon-ball jumps on the bed beside Keith. “Keith!!!”

“Kadzu!!” Keith laughs and pats their fluffy hair.

“We built many snowmen!!! You have to come and see them!!”

Matt, standing in the door frame, watches the scene with amusement. “Yeah, you should come, we’re taking pictures with them! Hunk wants us to hurry so he can get to prepare dinner.”

“We’re coming,” promises Keith.

“Maybe put some clothes on, Keith! It’s freezing outside!” He winks. “Did I interrupt?”

Shiro feels his cheeks heat up, and doesn’t manage a coherent reply. Keith throws a pillow at Matt, who catches it and laughs. “I’ll leave you to it,” he teases, and leaves.

As the evening unfolds, full of laughter, good food, and catching up, Shiro finds himself happy and relaxed. He has missed hanging out with the whole team. They do video calls and visit each other when they can, but life is busy and they haven't been all reunited in months. He has been missing them all. Lance has been right to insist on this vacation. Shiro promises himself to make it happen sooner next time. They do important work and it’s easy to let oneself be carried away and to forget to have breaks. But he doesn’t want his closest friends to drift away from him. Especially not Keith.


	2. Oh, it doesn't show signs of stopping, And I've brought some corn for popping.

When Shiro wakes up the next morning, Keith, Kadzu and Kosmo are fast asleep. The first rays of sunlight are already filtering through the shutters.

Shiro climbs down the ladder quietly and manages not to wake anyone. He grabs some work-out clothes and changes in the bathroom.

No one is up yet. The cottage is quiet, the only sounds are the songs of the birds outside.

\--

He goes out for a run. The air is chilly and crisp, his breath is creating fog, the snow crunches softly under his steps. He feels so free it’s exhilarating.

Before entering the cottage again, he shakes the snow off his sports jacket, and stomps his feet. Once inside, he hangs the jacket on the coat rack, and takes off his shoes. He still seems to be the only one up; he can hear Hunk snoring peacefully in the distance, in one of the closest rooms.

There is a bay window in the living room, and a fluffy rug. The perfect place to continue his work-out. He stretches while enjoying the view of the snowy mountains, slowly easing into yoga poses.

Something furry jumps on him and throws him to the ground. Shiro lets out a grunt and tries to fight back until the creature licks his face and whimpers excitedly. Shiro laughs, tension bleeding out of his body. “Kosmo, stop!!”

Keith is already kneeling at his side, holding the wolf back. “Sorry he startled you. He always does that when I work out too.” Kadzu is giggling, petting the wolf and nuzzling him.

Shiro pats Kosmo’s side and smiles. “Don’t worry about it. He’s a good boy.”

That catches Kosmo’s attention, and he lets out a happy yelp. Shiro sits up, pushing the wolf away. “Not the best breath, though,” Shiro replies, earning a chuckle from Keith.

“Can I train with you?” Kadzu pipes up.

“Are… you sure you want to?” Shiro asks, puzzled.

“Galra get trained early on,” his friend explains. “Kadzu can keep up with most of your routine, or would know how to adjust things they can’t. We train together, too.”

“Oh! I see. Of course you can join me.” Shiro offers.

And Kadzu is indeed quite impressive. The only thing is, Kosmo really wants to join in, and keeps jumping at them, pressing himself against them, and licking their faces until they give up and play with him.

\--

Hunk and Romelle are the first ones up after them, and are busying themselves in the kitchen. Shiro, Keith and Kadzu help setting the table, while Hunk is making pancakes for everyone.

Enticed by the appetizing scent, the rest of the paladins show up one after the other. The last ones are Allura and Lance, still in pajamas. Shiro can’t help being happy to see Allura so relaxed; when there is work to do, she is an early-riser, but when she can, she does like to sleep in. With all the hard work she does, she deserves it!

While they’re huddled around the long wooden table, eating pancakes and making plans for the day, Pidge and Matt, who had left earlier to work on their ongoing project, come back excitedly waving a sledge.

“Look what we found in the garage!” Matt claims.

What they were doing in the garage in the first place, Shiro prefers not to know. They wouldn’t be above “borrowing” stuff from this rented house to use on whatever their current experiment was.

“You should try it, Kadzu!” Matt offers. The sledge is a traditional, wooden one. It looks a bit old, but still in good condition.

Kadzu claps, excited. And then asks, “but what is it?”

“Come with us, and we’ll show you!” Lance exclaims, already on his feet and getting his coat.

\--

The snow is falling softly outside. Kadzu is sitting on the sledge, while Keith pulls them with a cord attached to it. They walk around the cottage, smiling at Kadzu’s delight, and making small talk among themselves. Kosmo is frolicking around in the snow.

Matt walks by Shiro’s side. “So, how are things going, Shiro?”

“Great. I’ve been able to sleep through the whole night.”

“No kidding,” Matt replies with a chuckle.

“I guess taking a break was a good thing, after all,” Shiro admits.

Matt stops in his tracks, and turns towards Shiro. “Of course you sleep better when Keith is there. That’s old news.”

Shiro can feel his ears get hot. “What do you mean?”

Matt laughs. “Pidgeon told me, they noticed that back in the Voltron days. You would wander the corridors at night more if Keith was away on a mission.”

Shiro lets out a defeated sigh. This might be true. He did make sure to check on Pidge whenever he was sleepless and making rounds, to talk them into getting to bed. They were always up way too late.

“Hey, Shiro,” Matt adds, “What I meant was, how are things going with Keith?”

He seems serious and Shiro isn’t sure how to react. They are already some distance behind the rest of the group. The paladins have found an area with a slight slope and are taking turns with the sledge. Keith’s happy laugh echoes with the others as Hunk makes a joke.

It seems to be Shiro’s fate to be left behind, watching Keith from afar while a friend lectures him on his relationship with him. First Allura, now Matt.

“… Shiro?”

“Yes?”

“Are you still with me?”

Shiro’s not sure how long he has been watching Keith, but it is enough for him to lose track of the conversation.

Matt lets out a long sigh. “I wanted to know if you had finally confessed to Keith.”

“I- I didn’t, why?” Shiro protests. “You know he doesn’t feel that way.”

“Are you joking?!” Matt blinks wide eyes. His mouth is gaping; his eyebrows are so up his forehead that they disappear under his bangs.

Shiro rubs his neck. He really, really would prefer having fun with the others than having this talk. “Look. He sees me as a brother, he told me so. Very clearly. Twice. I’m not messing up this friendship.” It hurts to say aloud.

“Keith? Shiro, you can’t be serious. You can’t think he meant that literally. Please. You’re not that dumb…”

Shiro shrugs. What is he supposed to say? It’s not as simple as Matt thinks.

“Shiro, Keith had already a crush on you when he arrived at the Garrison.”

“ _I know_ ,” Shiro replies, irritated. “I was the cool guy who helped him out when no-one did, it’s not surprising he got a bit of a puppy crush at first. I was the first one to be kind to him in I don’t know how long. But this was ages ago. He has grown now.”

“Come on Shiro, he would die for you.”

“As I would for him.”

“Quod erat demonstrandum!”

Shiro grunts. “I’m not going to push anything on him.”

“Oh, you’re far from pushing anything on him. Actually, maybe you should push a little more. Shiro, it’s been years!”

“I don’t want to make things weird.”

Matt rolls his eyes. “I don’t think it would change much, even if he really doesn’t feel the same.”

There’s an awkward silence before laughter reaches them. Allura and Hunk are helping Lance up after he crashed into the snow.

“Let’s see if he needs help,” Shiro suggests, already walking in their direction. Thankfully, Matt doesn’t insist and follows him.

\--

“Are you all right?” Allura asks. She sounds concerned, but she’s also biting her lower lip to keep herself from smiling.

“Nothing broken?” Hunk worries.

“Only my sense of dignity,” Lance replies, causing another wave of hilarity.

Hearing Keith’s guffaw feels so good. Shiro realizes he had missed it. And he remembers too well the times during the war when even a smile from Keith was a rare sight. Now it happens more, especially when they’re spending time together. But responsibilities and the harshness of life with the Blades still visibly weigh on him. Shiro is glad Keith could take some days of to join them.

“Want to try, Shiro?” Keith asks, gesturing at the sledge. “too bad there's not a second one, or I would race you!”

“We could time you!” Hunk suggests.

Shiro can’t resist a challenge, let alone a race.

They take turns and Shiro is holding the record, but when Keith is about to go again, they hear a small whimper. Kadzu is quietly sobbing. Keith falls on his knees in front of them. “What’s wrong?”

Kadzu is too upset to articulate an answer. Seeing them hugging themselves and shivering, Keith asks: “Are you cold?” Kadzu nods.

Keith wraps them up in his coat, picks them up and hurries back to the cottage, followed by his friends, while Kosmo keeps sniffing at Kadzu and whining in sympathy.

Keith gives Kadzu a warm bath and when they’re in dry clothes, sits with them in front of the fireplace. Hunk prepares some mashed potatoes and sausages for Kadzu. Once Kadzu has eaten, they doze off in Keith’s lap. Keith puts them to bed. “Kadzu doesn't usually take naps anymore,” Keith explains to Shiro, “but today, it looks like they need it.”

\--

As the paladins eat together (Irish Colcannon, and some sausages for those who want), Romelle remarks, “Kadzu needs warmer clothes. At least, a cap, and a scarf”.

Keith looks down, focusing on his plate. “I thought the spacesuit was enough protection. I’ll buy them better clothes.”

Romelle’s face falls. “I didn’t mean to blame you! I just want to get them cute stuff, you know!”

Shiro puts a hand on Keith’s shoulder. Keith looks up at him, and Shiro tries for a comforting smile: “Hey, you did your best with what was available to you. You didn’t have much choice for clothing at the BOM headquarters, especially not for a little one.”

Keith gives a quick nod. “Is there a shop nearby? I will get them something.”

“I’ll come with you,” Shiro offers.

Allura frowns, “Keith, you arrived yesdersay. Why don’t you let Romelle handle it, and Shiro and you can go on a hike? You haven’t even seen anything here yet. Lance and I wanted to go to town too. We can go with Romelle and take Kadzu with us, so they can chose garments that they like.”

“Actually, Matt and I need some stuff for our drone project, so we’ll join you!” Pidge pipes up.

“Oh, and I need to get some groceries,” Hunk adds.

“We’ll help you with that, bud!” Lance promises.

Shiro wants to disappear. He can tell from the looks they share with each other, that this is a plot. It’s not only Allura and Matt on his case. It’s the whole team. Leaving them both alone is on purpose. Matt’s smirk when he makes eye contact with him leaves little place for doubt. Keith is frowning, as if he doesn’t quite get what is going on.

“Guys, you’ve been looking out for Kadzu more than I have,” he says, his rough voice giving his concern away.

“No no no no, don’t worry about it!” Lance protests, “we love them!”

“I would truly enjoy going shopping with them!” Romelle adds. She does seem excited about it.

“Fine, I’ll ask Kadzu about it,” Keith says “if they want me to come, I will.”

This settles any further discussions. Keith's look of determination and the way his shoulder went up to his ears make it clear to everyone that he won’t change mind on this.

The team agrees and moves on with the conversation and the meal, and Keith slowly relaxes. Shiro is relieved that they somehow managed to not get into any awkward situation despite their friends’ bluntness.

\--

Kadzu wakes up a little after the meal, while some are still enjoying coffee or tea. They all crowd them and Keith has to ask them to give the child some space.

“Kadzu, Romelle wants to go to the nearest city to buy you warmer clothes, would you like to go with her?”

“Yes!!! Thank you Romelle,” Kadzu answers, with a shy smile that has Hunk coo.

“We’re going, too!” Pidge clarifies.

“Kadzu, do you want me to come?” asks Keith, again. Kadzu looks a little puzzled, looking at Keith, possibly wondering why his presence isn’t a given. Shiro already feels guilty about having considered separating them from Keith.

Keith inhales and is about to say something, but Allura interrupts him. “We thought Keith could go on a hike with Kosmo and Shiro while you’re shopping with us, Kadzu. Would you mind that?”

Kadzu stares at Allura with wide open eyes. Shiro worries that they are about to get upset, but the young Galra then moves their gaze to Keith, and a little grin appears on their lips. “Keith wants to be with Shirooo,” they tease.

“What?” Keith squawks.

This can’t be happening. This is even worse than the team uniting to set them up on a date.

“You want to be with Shiro because you loooove him!!!”

Shiro’s brain ceases to function and he just stands there in shock. Keith has let his head hang down in embarrassment; his bangs hide his face, but Shiro can see his ears turn red. There are snorts and chuckles and whispers coming from the team, who, of course, are of no help at all in this situation. Kadzu giggles, delighted both with Keith’s embarrassment, and the attention they’re getting from everyone.

Shiro is desperately racking his brain to find something to say to get Keith out of trouble -both of them, in all honesty-, but he can’t form any coherent thought. He blurts out a “K-Kadzu... “ and can’t add anything. It would have been better to stay silent.

That prompts Keith to look up, and, to Shiro’s shock, he replies, earnestly: “Yes, I do love him, Kadzu, and I would like to catch up with him.”

Shiro’s heart is doing back flips, and it doesn’t help that this time Hunk and Romelle are cooing in chorus. He takes a deep breath, and reminds himself that Keith doesn’t mean it _that way_. He ignores the overwhelming wave of melancholy that engulfs him at that thought.

“Kadzu,” Allura insists, “would you like to come with us to the nearest town while Keith and Shiro go hiking?”

Kadzu goes to Allura and reaches up to her; she takes their hand, a bit surprised. Then her expression softens. “Let’s get ready, then.”


	3. But, if you really hold me tight, All the way home I'll be warm!

The sun is shining again while Shiro and Keith walk through the forest, but the snow is still thick and powdery.

They chose the _Derrybawn Woodland Trail_ , which is more of a walk than a hike, with only a little climbing at the start. It has great views, and they can easily catch up while walking.

Kosmo is excited and keeps running around them, spotting here a robin, there a squirrel, then catching the scent of some rabbit....

[ ](https://twitter.com/MAilbhe/status/1355927142006206471)

[Image by Square_Orange, on twitter at https://twitter.com/MAilbhe/status/1355927142006206471](https://twitter.com/MAilbhe/status/1355927142006206471)

Shiro chuckles. “Kosmo is enjoying himself.”

“I guess space stations are a little underwhelming for him,” Keith ponders. “It’s good for him to be out in nature again.”

“Aren’t you afraid he might follow some animal’s trail and get lost?”

Keith shakes his head. “I don’t think so. He would teleport back to me if something happened.”

“Makes sense.”

“He’s not that much of a hunter, you know. He might be wild, but he relied on Mom and me for food early on.”

They keep strolling in silence for a bit, and then Keith adds: “I told him not to hunt here anyway. It’s a conservation area.”

“I see.”

It might sound odd, but Shiro has learned not to question Keith’s exchanges with Kosmo. Kosmo does seem to understand much more than what a wolf or dog would. Shiro has, more than once, wondered if Keith and him share some sort of a telepathic bond.

“You know,” Keith admits after a while, “I’ve never seen actual snow on Earth before. We’ve been on icy planets before, but...it’s not the same.”

“There was snow almost every winter where I grew up,” Shiro says, reminiscing of Sapporo. “There was even a winter festival.”

“Really?”

“Yes. People make beautiful snow sculptures. There are also all kinds of shows, dog sledging, a ski parade...”

“That sounds so cool. Maybe we can go together, one day.”

The suggestion, and Keith’s soft tone, almost bring happy tears to Shiro’s eyes. “I would love to take you there. We could visit my grand-ma and my aunts who still live there.”

They would be quick to realize that Keith is not just a friend, and Shiro tries to avoid thinking about how embarrassing this could become.

“Deal,” Keith replies. Well, Shiro will have to find a way to make this work. “I look forward to it,” he admits, and gets a smile in return.

“I’m glad you could catch a break and enjoy the snow with us,” Shiro says. “The Blades are doing great work, but you must get some rest from time to time.”

Keith lifts up an eyebrow. “Says the Captain of the Atlas. Like they don’t overwork you at all.”

“It’s important work.”

“I should visit you again one day, just to remind the Garrison to let you live.”

“You scare them.”

“I know.”

Keith’s smirk is so self-satisfied that Shiro gathers some snow from a nearby branch, bunches it up in a snowball and throws it at him.

Keith’s eyes go wide, but he ducks in time to dodge the attack.

“Oh, you asked for it, old timer!” he shouts, throwing a snowball back at him.

It evolves into a full snowball fight, with them running around and targeting each other, laughing heartily. Kosmo doesn’t get the game but enjoys it anyway. He's dashing from one to the other and at some point pins Keith to the ground and licks his face.

As he is backing from a particularly nourished attack from Keith, Shiro’s left foot slips on ice. He can’t stop his fall backwards. It wouldn’t be too bad, if the river hadn’t been right behind him.

He hears Keith scream his name as he hits the cold water. His whole body goes numb and unresponsive from the icy water. He can hardly breathe.

A hand grabs him by the collar and pulls him out. Keith’s worried face is hovering above him. “Shiro, can you hear me?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Keith frowns. “You’re not fine. Let’s try to keep you from freezing to death. Kosmo?”

Keith lifts Shiro up and carries him underneath an oak tree, where there is a little less snow. He puts his coat on dried leaves that litter the ground, and sits Shiro on it. He holds Shiro tightly in his arms, trying to use his body heat to warm him up. Kosmo curls around them. It feels good. When Shiro’s shivers have quieted down a bit, and his teeths have stopped chattering, Keith asks, “Better?”

“Yeah,” Shiro manages. “How were you so fast to catch me?” Shiro licks his lips, still numb. Talking is difficult.

“Kosmo teleported me.”

Shiro nods. Of course. Keith can be so fast, but a teleporting space wolf has made him even more impressive.

“We gotta get you home, stat,” Keith urges.

“You need your coat back on, Keith.”

“Yeah, alright. Let me help you up.”

\--

The way back is a blur. Shiro is sandwiched between Keith, who has Shiro’s left arm wrapped around his shoulders and helps him walk, and Kosmo, who stays close to him to keep him warm.

The cottage is still empty when they arrive. Keith guides Shiro inside, and helps him out of his wet clothes. Shiro is too exhausted to care. Keith dresses him in sweatpants, a long-sleeved t-shirt, a warm sweater, and thick socks. He wraps Shiro in all the blankets he can find, and sits him in front of the fireplace, in a nest of cushions and pillows. He lights the fire with impressive efficiency. Then he makes Shiro’s favorite tea, and joins him and Kosmo in their pillows and blankets nest.

It doesn’t take too long for Shiro to feel warm and comfortable. He can’t even be mad about what happened to him, if it ended up in cuddling with Keith.

“What is it?” Keith suddenly asks.

“Hmm?”

“Why are you smiling? Feeling better?”

“Yes. _A lot_ better. Thank you Keith.”

“Of course.”

Shiro hasn’t even realized that his left hand has cupped Keith’s face. He’s even more surprised when Keith leans into it. And looks at him with such a tender gaze that Shiro leans closer to his face, and Keith actually pushes himself up towards him... Shiro can’t believe it’s finally happening...

But just as they’re about to kiss, the door swings open and Lance yells “we’re home!!!” while the whole team follows, noisy and excited.

“Ah, there you are,” declares Allura as she spots them, “we didn’t expect you back already, but we saw your shoes near the door.

“Looks like you were having a good time” Lance says. He wiggles his eyebrows.

Keith rolls his eyes. “Shiro fell in the river.”

“What?!” Lance screechs. “Are you all right?”

“Yes,” Shiro reassures them. “Keith saved me.”

“Of course he did,” Matt replies.

A purple cannonball lands on Keith’s lap. “Keith, Keith!!” Kadzu calls, wrapping their small arms around his neck.

“Hey!” Keith replies, softly. “I missed you, buddy.”

“Look, look what Romelle bought for me!!!”

Kadzu gets up again to show off their penguin hat, a multicolored scarf, and bright orange mittens. It’s the most mismatched clothes Shiro has ever seen, but it still manages to look adorable on Kadzu.

“You look great,” he says, completely honest. Kadzu preens.

“Yeah, that looks really cool,” Keith agrees. He turns to the blonde Altean: “Thank you, Romelle. I’ll pay you back.”

She waves him off. “Don’t worry about it, I’m happy to gift it!”

“But...”

“Keith, I mean it!”

“Fine.” Keith groans. Then, again “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Keith has never been good at accepting gifts, and Shiro can’t help finding it endearing.

“You should come, next time,” Pidge suggests. “Rathdrum is pretty cute.”

“Yeah, there’s many cute places to visit here!” Lance adds.

“I could use some help!” Hunk calls from the kitchen. He is unpacking a whole backpack of groceries.

Keith is about to stand up to go help him, but Allura insists he stays with Shiro. Lance, Pidge and Matt are enough to give Hunk a hand.

\--

Keith and Shiro find themselves enlisted by Hunk a bit later anyway. It turns out the team’s Chef had promised Kadzu that they would bake something together. As Keith and Shiro stand aimlessly in the kitchen, watching Hunk teach Kadzu how to make the dough for irish apple cake, Hunk notices them:

“If you’re staying here, make yourself useful. And Shiro, you’re not allowed anywhere near the oven!”

“I don’t always let things burn,” protests Shiro, “if I set a timer...”

“Not near the oven.” Hunk retorts. “Shiro, you peel the apples, Keith, cut them into thin slices, you’re good at that.”

You don’t discuss Hunk’s orders in the kitchen. But Shiro ends up enjoying himself more than anticipated. Peeling apples sounds like a dumb task, but it ends up being quite soothing, specially when it means sitting with Keith. Kadzu is clearly having a blast, too, and their enthusiasm is contagious. While Hunk can get quite bossy when he comes to cooking, he’s kind and patient with the child.

Kadzu gets the honor of arranging the apple layers on top of the cake, and they all watch Hunk solemnly put the cake in the oven. Then he shoves them out of the kitchen.

“I need some quiet to prepare dinner!”

They end up talking in the main room, while the delicious scent of baked apples fills the air. Matt serves them cider. Keith is catching up with Allura and Romelle, who he hasn’t seen in a while.

As Shiro moves away from them to get himself a cup of tea, as he wasn’t in the mood for cider, he bumps into Lance.

“Hey, watch out!” the blue paladin protests, as some of the cider has spilled on his sweater.

“I’m sorry,” Shiro apologizes. “Let me get something to clean it”

Lance grabs his arm. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll go clean it up in the bathroom. As an apology, I want you to answer one question.”

Shiro crosses his arms, not trusting Lance on something like that. “What is it?”

“Are you and Keith, you know? Together?”

No, please, not Lance too.

“We’re friends,” Shiro replies curtly. He bites back the urge to add that things could maybe have been different if Lance and the others hadn’t returned at the worst moment.

“What?! Seriously? Even after he saved you from the river?”

“Lance, that doesn’t mean anything.”

Lance throws his arms up: “¡Dios Mío! You’re both hopeless!”

And, without a warning, he pushes Shiro. Shiro, still recovering from the river incident, can’t keep his balance and collides with Keith, who stumbles a step back, but catches him and keeps them from falling down.

“Yay!” Lance cheers, “exactly under the mistletoe!”

“Mistletoe?” Keith asks, as they both look up. There’s indeed a bunch of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling.

“Who the heck put mistletoe up there?” Pidge asks.

“So?” Lance protests. "It’s romantic!”

“Oh yeah, classic Lance,” Pidge groans.

Shiro looks down at Keith, who is blushing. He’s about to reassure Keith that they don’t have to do anything, but the soft look in Keith’s eyes makes him change his mind.

“They say kissing is good luck,” he blurts instead.

Keith bites his lip, hesitates for a split second, then throws his arms around Shiro’s neck, and pulls him down into a kiss. As Shiro leans into the kiss, his heart pounds so hard that everyone must hear it, but he doesn’t care at all.

All their friends cheer, and tears are filling his eyes, but he doesn’t even feel embarrassed.

As they finally pull away, Keith grins. “Wow. I’ve been hoping for this forever.”

“Me too,” Shiro admits.

And they kiss again.


	4. But, as long as you love me so, Let It Snow!

Shiro lies in the dark in the top bunk bed and can’t fall asleep. Usually, this is bad news, but this time he’s still really excited and happy. He can’t believe Keith loves him back.

It’s a bit strange, the way it changes everything... and nothing at all at the same time. The evening had been quite uneventful. They enjoyed their meal, and then had a game of Monsters & Mana.

And now he is supposed to sleep, and he just can’t.

The bed shakes from someone climbing the ladder, and Keith’s head appears in the dimness.

“Hey,” Keith whispers, “can I join you?”

“Yes, but we should use the bottom bed! This won’t hold both our weight.”

“All right.”

Keith goes back down, and Shiro joins him.

The bunk is way too small for both of them, but somehow they manage to fit on it together. Keith is in Shiro’s arms, his brow so close to his mouth that he doesn’t resist the temptation to kiss it. Keith ducks his head with an embarrassed groan. Then he looks back up, a playful look in his eyes, and kisses Shiro’s nose as a revenge. Shiro chuckles and uses his weight to pin him down. Keith tries to push him back, laughing quietly, until Shiro plants a short kiss on his lips.

There is a small whine coming from Kadzu’s bed. Shiro and Keith stop moving, holding their breath, worried that they might have woken them up. But the child only sighs, turns over, and gets back to heavy slumber.

When Shiro glances back to Keith, a soft smile is lighting up the young man’s face. “Come here,” he whispers, pulling Shiro down as they share a longer kiss.

They have to move around for a while before they manage to fit in a comfortable position to sleep, huddled together in the small bed.

This time, Shiro has no problem falling asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this fic, and I hope you enjoyed it!  
> Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments!  
> \--  
> disclaimer: I actually have never been to the Wicklow Mountains! Sorry for any inaccuracy. If you have suggestions for small adjustments that could make it feel more authentic, feel free to do so in the comments!  
> _  
> Oh. And yes, of course Keith adopts Kadzu!!!  
> _  
> Here are the tropes that this story fills in our bingo card:  
> baking, walk in the woods, single parent, meddling friends/relatives, interrupted kiss, which make a row on the bingo card!  
> Additional prompts from that bingo card are: characters collide, flirtatious snowball fight, grand gesture, nosy best friend, and of course: true love!


End file.
